Chapter 153: Chapter 153: The New Phoenix, The World Government Arrives
"I officially join the crew, Vice Captain!" said Law.
"What do you mean by that?" Doflamingo looked at Law.
"He joined the Whitebeard Pirates over a year ago," Roy said with a smirk. "I even wanted him as the 2nd Division Commander, but he's too damn smart, opted to join as a subordinate instead. A shame."
"So you're saying that a former Warlord of the Sea was actually a member of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Admiral Fujitora said gravely.
"Exactly. The 'Three Great Powers' balance is just an illusion that the World Government wants you to see. The Warlords? Still pirates. And Doflamingo? Just a dog of the Beasts Pirates. Why do you think he's so desperate to protect Caesar? His life depends on Kaido."
Roy leaned in, grinning.
"Once a Celestial Dragon, now a stray mutt. And Doflamingo… the real show hasn't even started yet."
Before Roy could finish speaking, a loud explosion came from outside.
"What happened?" Doflamingo looked toward the door, and a subordinate came rushing in.
" Young Master! Straw Hat Luffy just broke in through the front gate!"
"Impossible. Isn't he still in the coliseum?" Doflamingo turned toward the room's projection. The battle had clearly started there, along with Diamante and a few others; five people were battling to get the Phoenix Fruit from the rampaging Fighting Fish. Among them was Luffy disguised as "Lucy", who was supposedly on-site.
In the coliseum, due to "Lucy's" actions, everyone had started targeting the Fighting Fish. Atmos was already furious.
"I don't care who you people are. Anyone who takes what belongs to us will pay the price!" Atmos roared, drawing his giant sword and charging at Diamante.
Diamante dodged while trying to figure out who this guy really was.
Atmos's attacks were brutally strong, forcing Diamante to keep evading. Others were still busy dealing with the Fighting Fish.
"How long do you plan to keep dodging?!" Atmos slashed again, his shockwave extending into the audience.
"Hey, you almost hit me, bastard!" Bartolomeo shouted, raising his barrier in front of him.
"Hmph." Atmos snorted coldly and removed the mask on his face.
"That guy is..."
"No way!"
"Whitebeard Pirates 13th Division Commander, Water Buffalo Atmos!"
"A Whitebeard Pirates Commander?!"
"Why would someone from an Emperor crew be here?!"
Gasps echoed from the audience. Everyone in the arena was shocked to see Atmos.
"A Commander from the Whitebeard Pirates? From that Emperor crew?" Rebecca said in fright.
"No wonder he's so violent, he's from the legendary Whitebeard Pirates."
Even Bartolomeo looked nervous, and "Lucy" (Luffy in disguise) stopped chasing the Fighting Fish to watch Atmos.
"Whitebeard Pirates," Diamante hissed, sweat dripping. "What's your business here?"
"A year ago, our crew sent out two Devil Fruits. One of them went missing. Looks like you guys stole it." Atmos replied.
"No, we didn't steal it! We bought it!" Stealing a fruit from the Whitebeard Pirates? They wouldn't dare even if they had ten times the guts.
"Doesn't matter. The Phoenix Fruit will not fall into your hands!" Atmos roared in fury as his body began to transform.
The next second, a giant dragon soared into the sky, casting a massive shadow over everything.
Seeing this through the projector, Doflamingo clenched his teeth. "A dragon... Kaido's power. So the rumors are true. Not only did the Whitebeard Pirates clone the Phoenix Fruit, they've also recreated Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit model."
"DRAGON!!"
"It's Kaido's power! The Whitebeards really did it!"
"RUN!!!"
Panic erupted in the coliseum. The appearance of the dragon threw everything into chaos.
"Anyone who steals from our crew will face punishment!" Atmos opened his maw, gathering flames.
"Bolo Breath!"
A massive flame attack was about to rain down. If it hit, everyone there would be incinerated.
At the last second, "Lucy" sprang into action. Using a leaping Fighting Fish as leverage, he landed an uppercut on Atmos's chin, forcing his mouth skyward.
Boom!
The Bolo Breath blasted into the sky, lighting up the entire arena. Even from afar, the heat was overwhelming.
Rebecca and Diamante both felt like they'd narrowly escaped death.
"You..." Atmos growled and snapped at "Lucy," who knocked him away with a steel pipe.
Atmos staggered, then charged at "Lucy," slamming him into the lower arena.
A Fighting Fish suddenly jumped up, insanely ramming into Atmos with a box tied to its back.
Atmos grabbed it with his dragon claws, crushing it into bits. The box burst open, and an orange Devil Fruit fell out.
"The Phoenix Fruit!" Rebecca rushed forward to grab it.
"Don't even think about it!" Diamante attacked her, but Bartolomeo blocked it with his barrier.
Meanwhile, "Lucy" seized the opportunity, leaping up and striking Atmos with his pipe to knock him away from the Phoenix Fruit.
Atmos, desperate to reclaim the fruit, shifted into his hybrid form.
Just then, Sabo struck from behind with a powerful kick, sending Atmos flying mid-air.
"No!" Atmos could only watch helplessly as the enemy caught the fruit and took a bite out of it.
"You… DIE!" Atmos roared, transforming back into a full dragon, and this time unleashing his Breath without hesitation, aiming straight at Sabo.
BOOM!
The Bolo Breath blasted through the arena floor, even breaking into the foundations below, right where Usopp was performing his "miracle."
Luffy, meanwhile, had finally reached the palace, tangled with Bellamy.
"He dies, and I kill you right now," Roy warned Doflamingo.
"Fufufu… Kill me? Tell that to him first."
A new presence darkened the doorway.
"How troublesome… They actually came." Roy sighed.
A tall, suited elder stepped from the shadows, cane tapping.
"To die by my hand… is an honor, lowly slave."
One of the Five Elders had arrived.
.....
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